Oreo is eatting ALOT…Please HELP!!!

[3crazybuns]

 Hello all, This is the first time I’ve posted on here, anyway, I just got a bunny from a lady about 2 days ago, She was breeding him, and all she was feeding him was pellet…no hay, and no fruits or veggies. Well I have been feeding him, 1/2 cup of pellet, 2 carrot sticks, 2 celery stalks, a hand full of field greens, and 1/2 of an apple..along with TONS of hay everyday. Well, I’ve noticed that every morning his bowl is completely empty, and his hay is almost completely gone, with the exception of a few pieces. I’ve owned a bunny before, but he never ate like this guy, is this normal? Am I not feeding him enough? Thanks so much for the help!  

[Sarita]

Welcome. I imagine that Oreo is eating to make up for his lack of nutrition from the breeder and it’s probably okay for now.

What I would recommend is that you have a vet check-up for him to do a fecal float to check for any parasites and an overall check up at that time as well.

Eventually you will want to get him on a more normal diet though. It’s great though that he is eating alot of hay and yoiu want to keep that up.

[3crazybuns]

 What would a more normal diet consist of? am I not feeding him right?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Here’s the link to diet info https://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/tabid/60/Default.aspx  It has all the info on how much to feed based on weight as well.

I think he is eating a lot but the right stuff-your totally on the right track with veggies and hay! He’ll probably slow down gobbling it all up too. It may work best to feed him 2-3 times a day, the same amount or less but in more frequent amounts to encourage him to kind of graze instead of gobble.

 

Welcome to Binkybunny!

[3crazybuns]

Thanks so much for all the help!!! I’m in the process of trying to find a vet for Oreo, There are none in the town we live in, so I’m searching around the area. We rescued oreo with the intentions of finding him a home in the near future, but we’ve really grown very attached to him in the 2 days we’ve had him, so we’ve decided to keep him!!!! He is the sweetiest guy for going through the mess he was in! He came out of his cage this afternoon for the first time, and he run and jumped and played for HOURS!!! It was so much fun to watch!!!! Then he came up to me, and nudged me for a scratch behind the ears!!! My heart melted immediately!!!!

[BinkyBunny]

You’ve gotten some great advice so far. The only thing I have to add is to not give him soo much apple. If he’s used to pellets, this may overload his system as apples (especially if he gets half of an apple)and carrots are high in sugar. Also, with the celery stalks, be sure to cut them up as the “strings” have a the capability to cause digestive problems.

Welcome to BinkyBunny! Can’t wait to see photos of oreo!

[3crazybuns]

After reading the information on the site about diet, I did cut back on the carrot and apple today, He got a much bigger handful of the field greens this morning, Also I noticed he didn’t eat every single drop of food through the night like he did before. So I think we are starting to get it right. I will most definately cut back on the celery!!!! I feel bad because I really don’t know all that much, but I’m reading and learning…

Thanks again everyone, I will be posting pictures very soon!!!! He’s apparently a English Spot/Hoto Mix. ????????? I don’t really care what he is, he’s my sweet baby boy, and thats all that matters!!!! =)

[Sage Cat]

Hi Oreo’s mommy,
Sounds like you are off to a great start.

That is awesome that he came out of the cage and ran and jumped for hours.
When I first got my 2 buns – after being at a shelter for quite a while – they both lost weight for the first 2 months because they were running around and playing so much. Not a bad thing but, something to keep an eye on.

[Laura G.]

Hi everyone.

This my very first post in this forum… I was searching for info regarding how much a young bunny usually eats… I’ve just adopted a cute lionhead of about 45 days old (not sure)—I know he is very young. I read that, up to 4 months, pellets can be unlimited. I’ve been noticing, however, that he is eating a lot and drinking a lot of water. Since he is my first bunny, I’m not sure if that’s normal. Is it?
(NOTE: he also plays a lot, as he has an entire room for him during the day)

I also have another question… In reviewing my readings on diet and care, I realized that greens should be given only after 4 months or so of age. But I started him on vegetables already. Should I stop and wait until he is 4 mo? If not, is there any that I should totally avoid due to his young age?

I thank you all in advance for any help.

Regards,

Laura
(Muffin’s mommy ) 

[Sarita]

Welcome! Well, I would continue with the vegetables as long as he’s not having a reaction to them it’s perfectly okay. What type of veggies are you feeding him?

Have you had a vet check him out since you’ve gotten him? So if he’s only 45 days old is that about 6 weeks? That is pretty young.

Babies do eat and drink alot too since they are growing up so that could be very normal.

[Laura G.]

Hi Sarita.

Thanks for your prompt response and help.

The veggies

I started him on parsley and carrots. But I just read in this discussion that carrots are not very good to be given often since they are high in sugar. Therefore, I decided to make it as a “treat.” And just two days ago I gave him small pieces of cucumber, but today I noticed his pellets became more humid and bigger… I don’t know what is supposed to be the “normal” size or appearance…  So I think I won’t give cucumber anymore or at least until he grows a little more. (NOTE: In a book I bought, it says that cucumber was OK… maybe not at this age…).

He reacted well to the vegetables, i.e. I didn’t notice any diarrhea or anything like that… Actually, he loves them, especially the parsley! I also tried asparagus, but he didn’t eat it… I guess he just doesn’t like it… That’s all I tried so far.

The vet

I didn’t take him to the vet yet…  But because I got him over the weekend. I plan to take him very soon, though.
(BTW, I didn’t get it because it was easter! It was a mere coincidence! I was already planning to get a rabbit since a long time ago!)

I am delighted to have found this forum! I can foresee already that it will be very helpful! Thanks a lot!

Regards,

Laura

 

 

[3crazybuns]

 Just wanted to give a quick update on Oreo….We have finally managed to get our diet straighted out…he gets about 2 cups of fresh greens…a SMALL piece of apple, and I shredded the carrots, so he just gets a few little slivers in the morning…of course 1/2 cup of pellet, and unlimited hay…he seems to really like that alot, he’s not quite finishing it all off, but gets pretty close…so I think we’ve got it down!!! 

Thank you sooooooo much to everyone for all the GREAT advice!!!! Oreo and I thank you very, very much!!!!!!!

[MooBunnay]

Oreosmommy – I’m so glad you got Oreo’s diet straightened out He must be such a happy little bunny to have an attentive mom and a healthy home. Let us know if you have any more questions as he gets older!

Piquiwithmaple – As far as the vegetables, if he is handling them OK with his diet, then I don’t think it is a problem, but I would recommend staying with the more “normal” rabbit veggies for awhile, and let him get older before you start introducing any other vegetables. The “normal” veg I am referring to is leafy greens and herbs, mainly romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and parsley. These are the standard types of veg I feed my bunnies.

[Laura G.]

MooBunnay:
Thanks for the tips! I will stick to those veggies then.
I noticed that in the morning I find soft stools in her box, while in the afternoon they are a little drier and smaller. I usually give her the veggies in the evening. So, I thought that the viggies were making her stools soft. Then I didn’t give her any veggies for 48h to see if there would be any changes in her stools. But there wasn’t… they continued to be soft in the morning and dry in the afternoon… Since I’ve never had bunnies before, I’m not sure if this is HER normal…

Taking advantage of this message, I just would like to ask for another small help…
I’ve been noticing that Muffin is eating a lot of pellets and—it seems to me—not too much hay as she should. I don’t know if she is prefering pellets to hay, but, because I read that until 4mo we don’t limit pellet, I am not sure if this “pellets overeating” is normal (as she is growing) or if I should start limiting pellet offer.

Any help would be a big one! I thank you all in advance.

regards,
Laura

[Sarita]

Well, I would start measuring out the pellets to encourage more hay eating.

[BinkyBunny]

Oreosmommy1 – yeah! I’m glad the diet thing is working out. And also, you said you felt bad for not knowing so much. Don’t feel bad, you should feel proud that you sought out answers for the sweetie pie that is relying on you. What a great bunny mom!!!

piquiwithmaple: Regarding the soft stools, if it is caused by an bacteria imbalance in their digestive tract it can take a while for it to clear up. So IF you think it’s the veggies, it could take a while. Regarding unlimited pellet,the House Rabbit Society states:
7 weeks to 7 months–unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.) SOURCE: “http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies

However, if you find that your rabbit is having soft stool NOT due to veggies, you might want to consider the type of pellet. Alfalfa is usually fine unless you find that soft stools and/or the bunny is getting overweight is developing.

What are the pellets that are feeding right now?

[Laura G.]

Hello BinkyBunny!

Currently, I feed her the Hagen’s pellets (click here to see which it is). I don’t know if it is available in the US—I live in Canada.

Just some explanation behind it… I bought it in the petstore when I got Muffin. (We were expecting to get the bunny around May, but it happened to be in April… so we had nothing with us). Hence I bought the one available at the petstore that seemed to fit better the HRS recommendations, especially regarding protein (it has min. 16%), fat (min. 2%), fibre (max. 16%), and calcium (min. 0.9%) contents. Its base is alfafa, and it doesn’t have any seeds or starch such as corn. I bought the smallest package because my plan is to offer her the Oxbow’s Bunny Basic 15/23 once this one is finished; even though she seems to likes the Hagen’s, as she eats a lot. But I always read that the Oxbow’s is one of the most recommended by competent organizations, such as the HRS. And it’s available here.

I don’t know if the following info would make any difference but we never know… so… The same happened with the hay… I bought Living World’s Orchard Grass (as it was in the HRS’s list of good hays). I don’t kow if I should have stuck to timothy…  Would this make any difference?

Thanks you all again.

Regards,
Laura
(Muffin’s mom)

 (P.S.: Would it be weird to post in this forum pictures of the stools? )

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